Canggu’s Pererenan has been named amongst TimeOut Magazine’s coolest neighborhoods in the world in 2024.
The prestigious acknowledgment affirms the area’s rapid growth from a small, charming fishing and farming community with a smattering of long-term expats just a few years ago to one of the world’s trendiest international hangouts.
Without a doubt, Canggu is the busiest of Bali’s tourism resorts right now. While areas like Uluwatu and Seminyak see a pretty consistently high number of holidaymakers, digital nomads, long-stay tourists, and ex-pats, Canggu’s popularity is off the charts.
Canggu is the name for the stretch of coast that sits between Seminyak and Seseh, and within this area, there are several traditional villages and neighborhoods, each with an identity of its own. Pererenan, Batu Bolong, Berawa and Batu Belig to name a few.
Every year, TimeOut announces its rundown of the coolest neighborhoods in the world. Looking at the trendiest neighborhoods is a really novel way of looking at the world.
Often assessments of the hottest destinations focus on major cities, beach resorts, or islands.
Yet by looking specifically by neighborhoods through a local lense, travelers can explore new destinations in both rural and urban areas; exploring the opportunity to live like a local with the added benefit of all the infrastructure that makes for an easy tourist destination.
Canggu’s Pererenan, often mispronounced by newcomers and tourists as Pererereerererenanannan, is one of Bali’s most popular destinations for beach lovers, surfers, foodies, lovers of all things luxury and the party animals too.
TimeOut says of Pererenan, “This place will remind you of what made Canggu famous in the first place—pristine beaches, cosy cafés, eclectic shops, and a certain laidback cool, devoid of noise and traffic.”
They add, “There’s much in the way of classic Bali charm here: surfers and beach bums can catch sun and waves on Pererenan’s black-sand beach, while those seeking a slice of tranquillity can find it at warungs (the small cafés and businesses ubiquitous in Indonesia) abutting glittering rice terraces in the neighborhood’s north.”
Unlike other areas of Canggu, the traffic in Pererenan isn’t as consistently congested, and it is easy to saunter along Jalan Pantai Pererenan from the shoreline through to the trendy cafes and restaurants that now line the road.
RiZE Bali is a much-loved hangout of Canggu’s OG international community, and Tribal Bali Coworking Hostel has proven itself as a home-away-from-home for newly arrived digital nomads seeking to find a new community and fresh opportunities for connection in the south of Bali.
TimeOut highlights the likes of Kilo Kitchen, Bokashi, Brunch Club Pererenan, and Woods as the neighborhood’s must-visit hangouts.
The magazine also notes, “It remains to be seen if Pererenan will retain its low-key appeal – but we wouldn’t recommend waiting to find out.” something that Bali residents and the Canggu community will feel all too readily.
As the wider world becomes more familiar with Canggu and as more international investment enters the area, the more rapidly traditional village lands and agricultural land are being converted into commercial premises.
This, along with rapid development elsewhere in Badung Regency and around the island, has prompted leaders to draft a new bill that will establish a moratorium on hotels, resorts, and other tourism venues in areas such as Canggu.
The bill is set to be introduced in the next two weeks, though leaders have not announced a date as of yet.
As vibrant, up-and-coming, and more established tourism neighborhoods like Pererenan hit international headlines, many feel that there is a fine balance to strike.
Canggu needs to juggle fully embracing the exciting wave of development and international influence that has arrived in Canggu and prioritizing the protection of traditional Balinese culture that has been present on the island for thousands of years and that needs to remain after the next trending neighborhood emerges onto the scene.
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